The vertebral column of a human skeletal frame, often called a spinal column, is formed of a series of bones called the vertebrae. The vertebrae is a flexible column. The head is balanced on top of the column. The skeletal framework of the neck consists of seven cervical vertebrae. The cervical vertebrae has an anatomical structure unlike that of the lumbar vertebrae and thoracic vertebrae, and provides versatile movement for rotation (twisting), flexion and extension.
The cervical vertebrae positioned at the back of the neck region have smaller bones than those of the back and waist, and have a broader moving region than that of the waist. The cervical vertebrae is also exposed to frequent movement, such that they are easily affected by shocks compared with the waist, thus causing frequent pain thereto.
One therapeutic treatment for treating pain caused in the cervical vertebrae is a traction apparatus. Generally, there are four types of traction apparatus for performing the traction of cervical vertebrae.
The first type is a fixed traction apparatus for pushing the neck region to a prescribed level, including the chin, rear part of the neck and shoulder region, via a screw and fixing same. The second type is a power-driven traction apparatus for pulling the chin and rear part of the neck by using a motor while a patient's body is fixed on a bed. The third type is a pneumatic traction apparatus for wrapping the neck region, including the chin and rear part of the neck by an air tube and expanding the air tube in the longitudinal direction of the neck by using a pump to push up and stretch the cervical vertebrae. The fourth type is a traction apparatus for fixing the chin and rear part of the neck and hanging the fixed chin and the rear part of the neck on a horizontal bar to elongate the cervical vertebrae by the patient's weight.
However, there is a serious drawback in the conventional traction apparatus thus described in that a disorder known as Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD), referring to a collection of medical and dental conditions affecting the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ), may occur because these conventional traction apparatus serve to lift or pull the jaw and back part of the neck at the same time for traction of the cervical vertebrae, and because the cervical vertebrae are positioned at the back of the neck, a strong force can be applied to the jaw when the jaw and the back of the neck are pulled altogether.
For reference, TMJ is a joint located in front of an ear to connect the skull and the maxillary bone, and is connected with muscles related with a mouth opening, closing movements and mastication. TMD can occur when the maxillary bone, TMJ and muscles are not properly positioned and cannot move in harmony, and TMD can easily occur when an excessive shock or pressure is applied to the jaw.
There is another drawback in the conventional traction apparatus of simultaneously pushing or pulling the chin and the back part of the neck in that the elongated distance of the cervical vertebrae is short and an exercise of pulling epiglottis covering the first and second cervical vertebrae cannot be conducted when compared with an apparatus of pulling the rear part of the neck, thereby resulting in an ineffective pulling of the cervical vertebrae.
For example, the first cervical vertebra is a region where the brain connects to the spinal cord through which approximately 30,000 nerve strands pass, and when a structural problem occurs at this region, a disorder occurs at a region governed by the nerve strands and structural deformation can result on the spinal cord and the skull, such that an elongating exercise by way of traction is indispensable.
However, there is a drawback in the conventional traction apparatus of simultaneously pushing or pulling the chin and the back of the neck in that a rear part of the skull is not raised, preventing a proper elongation of the first and second cervical vertebrae, whereas it is necessary to lift the epiglottis of the skull and to elongate the first and second cervical vertebrae in order to evenly transmit the elongation effect to seven cervical vertebrae because the first cervical vertebra is covered by the epiglottis.